Source:
https://scmp.com/news/world/article/1148249/pope-benedict-diehard-traditionalist-who-resigned-his-post
World

Pope Benedict: diehard traditionalist who resigned his post

Pope Benedict XVI stands beside the relic of Pope Celestine V in the church St Maria of Collemaggio after the earthquake in L'Aquila in 2009. Photo: Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI, who on Monday announced his intention to resign this month, will be remembered as a staunch defender of Roman Catholic orthodoxy, a diehard traditionalist and a lightning rod for controversy.

The German intellectual succeeded the long-reigning and popular John Paul II in April 2005 aged 78 after serving nearly a quarter-century as the Church’s doctrinal enforcer, earning himself the nickname “God’s Rottweiler.”